The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-08-31
A Great Abundance Of Cherries
Good for Cooking and Can.
ming Followed by a
Famine.
Selecting and Managing Seed Potatoes 30
as to Insure Crop During Try
Seasons.
The Early Richmond Cherry.

LdSt SEASON tHeSc cHeTrlcS WcTc GULL
paratively scarce, and this year 1t was
difficult to obtain them "for love or
money" In fact. there were scarcely
any to be had. The farmers and gard
ners who had trees on their places did
not raise cherries enough for their own
use. The history of the rise, decline,
and fail of the early Richmond cherry
in this vicinity is interesting. 1t was
introduced more than thirty years ago,
and soon became quite popular. Per-
sons who had planted the various kinds
Of duke, heart, and Biggereau cherry
trees and had them die before they pro-
duced one crop of fruit were glad to
obtain variety that was hardy and
productive. 1t is true that the cherries
were neither large nor sweet, and were
not very desirable for dessert purposes.
But they were handsome, free from
blemishos, and most desirable for cook
ing purposes, while as fruit to can it
had no superior. II retains its color,
flavor, and aroma almost perfectly
when put up in glass jars. and is pre-
served without difficulty in them for
years.
Those who had bearing orchards of
early Richmond cherry trees during
the later years of the civil war found
them very profitable. Money was
plenty, and people were willing to pay
high prices for small fruit. Less at
lention was then paid to raising grapes,
strawberries, and bush fruits. and as a
consequence there was great demand
Tor cherries. During two seasons early
Richmond cherries sold in this market
for SO per bushel. One gentleman who
had cherry orchard some miles west
Of the city stated that his crop one year
was worth $40 per tree. The profits of
raising early Richmond cherries were
"written up" in q style calculated to
turn the heads of even cautious people.
Many orchards containing from one
hundred to two thousand trees were
set out with the expectation of deriv-
ing great profit from them. Trees two
years old from the graft were at first
sold by the quantity for $50 per humid
red. Nurscrymen protited by the in
terest shown by the public in raising
cherries. When the price of trees de-
clined to 1926 per hundred more were
planted, MS persons Of small means
could obtain them. There was hardly
farmer or gardner near Chicago that
lid not contain early Richmond cherry
trees.
The result might have been antici-
pated. There was "too much of good
thing" The cherries all ripened with
In period of ten days. and it was
difficult to pick and market them dur.
ing that period, and still more difficult
to sell them at anything like remuner-
alive prices. In many cases the crop
aid not sell for enough to pay for gath
oring and taking to market For
period of two weeks cherry pie, pud-
ding, and sauce were on every table.
Many families in town and country
bought cherries by the quantity to can
for use during the winter Still the
supply of sour cherries by far exceeded
the demand. As they ripened during
warm weather, and were quite perisha-
BILE, they could not be transported long
distances to supply localities where
few or none were raised. Being quite
acid. they could not be preserved in
tin packages, and the large canning es-
adjustments could not use them. Some
raisers, fearing that they might lose
money If they hired persons to pick and
lake them to market, sold the product
Of trees to persons who wanted to enjoy
the pleasure of picking cherries for a
1ay or two.
OF course this state of things put an
end to setting out cherry trees In this
part of the country. As the bearing
!rees produced large crops nearly every
year their vitality was soon impaired or
exhausted. Our climate is not as favor
able to tho longevity of the cherry tree
as is that of the eastern states or that
of most countries of Europe. The
trees mature quickly, produce heavily,
and die early. The last three years
have been very hard on cherry trees.
The hot, dry summers and the cold,
windy winters have killed most all Of
the old trees. Insects have also been
severe on cherry trees. The cherry
tree slug has appeared to think that the
orchards might as well be killed of as
not, seeing that they were Of no value
to their owners. Thousands of trees
have been cut down or dug up. their
trunks and large branches used for
domestic fuel, and their boughs burned
on the ground. In tho meantime no
young trees have been set out and the
sprouts that have appeared in orchards
have not been grated. As result We
have cherry famine, and 1t is likely
to continue for several years.
1t Is clearly time for revival Of in |
terest in raising early Richmond cher
ries. They are quite too valuable to
be completely neglected. There viii |